by Nicola Marsh
He did a slow turn, suddenly chilled by the lifeless ambience of the room. Kris was a vibrant, outgoing woman. What was she doing, living in a place like this? A place built for families and love and warmth on the outside yet cold and indifferent on the inside. What did that say about the woman he thought he knew?
‘Would you like something to drink?’
He spun around, forcing a smile to hide his discomfort. ‘I’m fine, thanks.’
She hovered in the doorway, her blue eyes stark in her pale face, highlighted by the bright red of her T-shirt worn loose over dark denim jeans.
He was used to dealing with a super-confident woman strutting around the office. This waif-like Kris had him wanting to do all sorts of uncharacteristic things, like cradle her close and stroke her tousled blonde hair.
‘Why don’t you tell me why you’re really here?’
She leaned in the doorway, hands thrust into the pockets of her jeans, her feet bare, and the fire-engine red of her painted toenails a perfect match for her T-shirt. Her pallor should’ve highlighted her vulnerability. However, nothing could dim the intelligence behind her direct stare, and he knew she’d settle for nothing less than the truth.
‘Fine, but only if you sit down. You’re making me nervous.’
Quirking a brow, she padded across the room and chose the armchair furthest from him. ‘Okay, start talking.’
Rather than curling up and tucking her feet under her, like most people would in their own home, she perched on the edge of the chair as if ready for flight.
‘My main reason for dropping by like this was to check up on you, but there’s something else.’
‘I gathered that.’
She didn’t encourage him or set him at ease, her rigid posture indicative of the hands-off approach she’d adopted with him. Not that he could blame her, considering he’d been doing the same.
Sitting opposite, he leaned back on the sofa which felt as stiff as it looked. ‘I owe you an apology.’
‘Go on.’
He couldn’t read her blank expression but the banked fire in her eyes spoke volumes. She intended to roast him over his behaviour and then make him sweat to be forgiven.
‘I’ve been pushing you hard, much harder than anyone else at the station. And I’m having one hell of a guilt attack about the role all the extra work I’ve hefted on you might’ve played in you coming down with this bug.’
For the first time since he’d arrived, a crooked smile lit her face. ‘Save your guilt. Work had nothing to do with how I’m feeling.’
He paused, staggered that one small, barely-there smile could pack such a powerful punch, slamming into his conscience with the precise hook of a prize fighter.
‘Nice of you to let me off so easily, but viruses tend to strike when you’re run down and I’ve been running you off your feet. Why don’t you take tomorrow off, rest up and come back next Monday?’
She shook her head, the smile vanishing in an instant, only to be replaced by the stubborn set of lips he’d come to associate with his star executive producer. He’d seen a similar mutinous expression every time he’d brought up an idea at work she didn’t agree with, every time he’d questioned her rationale.
‘Thanks, but I’m fine. I’ll be there bright and early tomorrow. If you ever let me get some sleep, that is.’
She cast a pointed look at her watch and he stood, wishing he could somehow make things better between them.
Sure, he didn’t want to get too close, but he’d be damned if they continued in this cold manner.
‘I miss the easygoing rapport we had in Singapore,’ he said, holding out his hand to help her off the chair, knowing he shouldn’t have brought up the night they’d sworn to forget but unable to stop.
He needed to do something to shock her out of the casual indifference shrouding her like armour.
He expected her to ignore his outstretched hand, but yet again she surprised him, placing her hand in his and allowing him to pull her to her feet.
‘I do too,’ she said, so softly he had to lean forward to catch her words—which would’ve been fine if it hadn’t brought him scant inches away from her lush mouth, and close enough to smell her faint rose essence, subtle and enticing as a stroll through a rose garden on a warm summer’s day.
She stared at him, her blue eyes wide with uncertainty and his heart clenched at the vulnerability behind the tough-girl exterior.
For all her attitude Kris reached out to him on a deeper level, and if he wasn’t careful he’d find himself sucked into a vortex of emotion he didn’t want.
‘Friends?’
He squeezed her hand, wishing he could raise it to his lips and kiss it, wishing he could hold it for ever.
But he wasn’t a ‘for ever’ type of guy, not any more.
The vulnerability in her eyes quickly faded, replaced by her usual tough veneer, and she pulled her hand out of his. ‘Friends it is.’
She headed for the hallway and he had no option but to follow, trailing after her like some teenager with a crush.
‘Remember, if you need extra time off—’
‘See you tomorrow,’ she said, holding open the door and scuffing her foot impatiently on the floor.
‘Righto.’
He brushed past her, knowing his visit hadn’t achieved much more than make a start in broaching the yawning gap between them.
She hadn’t bought his false apology.
He’d wanted to apologise for pushing her away, for treating her like a stranger rather than the woman who had woken him out of a three-year stupor, but he’d baulked at the last minute, covering it up by referring to work.
So he wasn’t ready to bare his soul.
He’d reached out to her, hadn’t he? By referring to their night of passion and the connection they’d shared he’d virtually admitted he hadn’t forgotten it. Nor did he want to, and in finally admitting it maybe he could get beyond this obsession gripping him for the woman standing in front of him looking ready to boot him down the front path.
‘Was there something else?’
‘Actually, there was.’
He paused, searching for the right words, knowing he had to make up for the way he’d treated her. ‘You’re a smart woman. I guess you’ve realised I haven’t only been pushing you hard, I’ve been behaving like a bastard as well.’
‘Well, I wouldn’t put it that strongly,’ she said, the corners of her mouth twitching and drawing his attention to the fullness of her lips, those same lips which had prompted him to lose his mind that balmy night in Singapore.
‘It’s true. And we both know it. I’d just like to say it’s going to stop.’
Her lips curved into a full-fledged grin, alleviating some of the tired lines tugging around her mouth. ‘About time. Though if I’d known the results a quick-fire faint would produce, I would’ve tried it last week.’
He grimaced. ‘Was I really that bad?’
‘Worse!’
Shadows flickered across her eyes, her frailty urging him to sweep her into his arms and never let go.
‘I’m sorry,’ he murmured, reaching up to cup her cheek, unable to stop himself from touching her, from reassuring her that he’d be doing things differently from now on.
‘No worries,’ she said, her wide-eyed blue gaze locked on his as she moved her cheek an infinitesimal millimetre and leaned into his hand.
Powerless to resist the urge he’d had since he’d first laid eyes on her tonight, he broached the gap between them, slid his hand around to cradle her head, and lowered his mouth to hers.
She sighed as his lips grazed hers, soft, coaxing, in the barest of kisses. However, he should’ve known that a gentle kiss wouldn’t be enough, not nearly enough with this incredible woman, and the moment she angled her head slightly was the moment he lost it.
Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her flush against him, relishing their perfect fit as his mouth recaptured hers, deepening the kiss till he could barely bre
athe for wanting her.
Desire slammed through his body, sending his mind into meltdown as he kissed her with all the pent-up passion which had been steadily building since she’d reentered his life.
A crazy, fiery, no-holds-barred kiss, sending his libido into orbit and their working relationship up in flames.
Suddenly, Kris braced her hands on his chest and pushed him away, her breathing ragged and her eyes flashing fire.
‘That wasn’t very professional,’ she said, her voice deliberately cool, and in stark contrast to her flushed cheeks.
‘No, I guess not.’
Unable to keep a satisfied grin off his face, he turned away from her confused stare and strode down the concrete path away from temptation.
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘IT’S fantastic!’
Kristen turned to Nate and struggled not to fling her arms around his neck as her gaze reluctantly left the TV screen and focussed on the man who had backed her one hundred percent on this exciting project.
Nate tried a mock frown and failed, his answering grin setting her heart thudding. ‘Hmm…I’m not sure. Could do with a bit of work.’
‘Are you serious?’
She leaped up from her chair and stalked across the conference room, filling a cup with water and wondering when she’d last felt this energised, this alive.
‘No, I’m not serious.’
He chuckled and she swivelled to face him, hand on hip. ‘Joke all you like, but we both know what we’ve just seen is going to take Australian TV by storm.’
‘That’s what I like to see. Confidence.’
He joined her at the water cooler, invading her personal space with his presence, standing so close her body warmed from the heat radiating off his, and she took a subtle step back, needing to re-establish some distance between them.
Exuberance over success in the workplace was one thing; jumping her boss because she couldn’t get the memory of that unexpected, scintillating kiss on her doorstep a week ago off her mind was another.
‘Tell me it’s not the best travel show you’ve ever seen.’
He drained his water and lobbed the cup in the bin, before turning to face her, the excitement in his eyes a dead giveaway for what he was thinking before he opened his mouth to respond.
‘Honestly? It’s some of the best work I’ve ever seen. You’ve done an incredible job, Kris.’
He touched her arm, an all-too-brief squeeze designed to convey his pleasure in her work, but predictably her pulse raced and her mind took flight, resurrecting the many ways he’d touched her all those months ago on that one special night.
‘Thanks.’
She headed back to the table and started gathering up her portfolio, knowing she needed to escape as soon as possible. In her current buoyant mood, spending one second longer with Nate could prove disastrous.
Along with her fertile imagination she had a distinct case of pregnancy hormones sending her libido crazy, and with a sexy guy like Nate around it was becoming increasingly harder to think of him in boss-terms only.
‘You know this means I’m going to expect this standard from you all the time, right?’
She jumped, his voice coming from way too close over her right shoulder, and she shovelled documents faster. ‘No problems. At least I know if I keep producing work of this standard you’ll be nice to me.’
Oops! She hadn’t meant to say the last bit, even if she thought it was the truth. Ever since that unexpected kiss he’d changed for the better in the workplace, and they’d grown closer, developing a strong working bond which was fast moving towards friendship.
She’d attributed his change to her performance, but maybe there was something more behind the turnaround.
‘I’ve already apologised for my earlier behaviour,’ he said, reaching out and taking hold of her arm before slowly turning her around to face him.
Determined not to let him see how he affected her, she tilted her chin up and hoped her expression wouldn’t give away her turbulent emotions: fear he’d revert back to being cold, fear of this new and improved Nate, but most of all fear of how easily she could fall for him given half a chance.
‘I know, I remember.’
How could she forget? She’d been ready to deck him that night on her doorstep; he’d kissed her senseless, undermining all her defences in one swift, scorching kiss.
Something akin to desire flickered in his eyes before he dropped his hands and turned away, intent on stuffing documents into his briefcase.
‘Good. In that case, you know I meant what I said. That’s all in the past. We’re a great team, and I intend for us to have a long and profitable relationship.’
His matter-of-fact tone snapped her out of the sensual fog enveloping her brain as she stilled her hands before they could rub the exact spots he’d touched her a moment ago.
Nate was her boss. She was his star employee. They had a ‘long and profitable relationship’ ahead of them.
That’s all she was to him, a great worker. It was all she’d ever be, and no matter how much she analysed that kiss it had obviously been an aberration, a spur-of-the-moment apology from a guy feeling bad about how he’d treated her.
Nothing more.
‘Right. See you tomorrow,’ she said, shrugging into her jacket, its tight fit reminding her of something else that would potentially bind them in a relationship, though this time it would have nothing to do with work.
She still hadn’t made up her mind about telling Nate about the baby though the closer they grew, work or not, she knew the time was fast approaching where she had to make a decision one way or the other.
‘I’m really thrilled this is working out, Kris.’
He finally straightened and glanced at her, an inscrutable expression in his dark-chocolate eyes, and for a moment an irrational spark of hope flared to life that maybe, just maybe, he was referring to something other than work.
‘Me too.’
Forcing a cheery smile, she waved and sailed out the door, silently praying he had no idea of the giant crush she’d developed.
‘Oh, my.’
Kristen stared at the big, flat LCD screen in the corner while the doctor moved a detector over her stomach, skidding through the cold gel as he moved it every which way, showing her in startling clarity that she was pregnant.
‘The bub is a perfect size for fourteen weeks,’ the doctor said, whose name she’d forgotten the instant she’d stepped into the room, her scared gaze riveted to the monitors and screens crowding the single bed in a makeshift cubicle in his office. ‘I’ll just take a few more measurements and we’ll be done here.’
She nodded, barely aware of anything bar the tiny baby on the screen, its knees tucked up to its chest, cosy and secure with not a care in the world, while her heart raced and her palms grew damp with the enormity of what she was doing.
That little, defenceless baby was hers, from its ten tiny, perfectly formed fingers to its miniature toes. Tears stung her eyes and she blinked rapidly, unwilling to blubber in front of a stranger. Time enough for that at the birth.
As her eyes stayed riveted to the screen the baby’s hand moved towards its face as if waving, and Kristen’s heart clenched with a surge of instinctual love. In that moment, the fact this pregnancy was real hit her in a tidal wave of emotion, leaving her breathless with joy, fear and anticipation.
‘Almost there,’ the doctor said, taking snapshots of the baby by hitting a few keys on the elaborate keyboard linked to a monitor.
She wanted to say take all the time in the world, because for this one significant moment in time she realised something. Coming face to face with her baby, seeing the hard evidence she was carrying a real, live little person inside of her, hammered home the enormity of the situation.
She hadn’t created this tiny miracle all by herself. And, as much as she’d prevaricated over the dilemma of whether to tell Nate or not, seeing the living, breathing evidence of the life they’d created left h
er with no choice.
She had to tell him.
It was the right thing to do.
Though now she’d made the decision her stomach somersaulted at the thought.
Since the night he’d dropped by her place a fortnight ago they’d forged a strong working relationship. He’d let go of whatever hang-up he’d had the first two weeks and they had become closer than she’d dared hope, considering their capricious start. Not that they were best buddies or anything, but it was nice to consider the boss a friend rather than an enemy.
However, how friendly would he be when she dumped her pregnancy surprise on him?
Most guys would run a mile. Then again, Nate wasn’t most guys.
For a CEO who owned a substantial percentage of Australia’s entertainment interests, he didn’t have a mean bone in his body and, though he hadn’t shaken the inherent sadness which seemed to be a part of him, he smiled most days, a smile which lit up her world if she were completely honest.
‘All done.’ The doctor wiped the gel off her tummy and handed her a small picture. ‘Here. One for your album.’
Grinning like an idiot, she traced the baby’s outline with a fingertip, unprepared for the surge of fierce, intense love which arrowed through her body and lodged directly in her heart.
Though she didn’t have a clue about parenting, she would be the best mother if it killed her. She’d buy a library full of books, take parenting classes, do whatever it took to ensure her baby had the best mum in the world.
‘Thanks,’ she murmured, raising tear-filled eyes to see the young doctor smiling at her.
‘Really hits home right about now, huh?’
She nodded, clutching the small photo like Charlie holding onto the golden ticket to the chocolate factory.
‘Make sure you schedule another ultrasound for twenty weeks on your way out,’ he said, helping her down from the table. ‘I’ll see you then.’
‘Okay.’
Placing the photo on the bed, Kristen zipped up her trousers and slipped her stockinged feet into stiletto pumps, her gaze never leaving the first picture of her child.
